We work exclusively in English, and of course any Japanese scientist who wants to be known outside of the country has to write and speak it too (though it is rare to find anyone who approaches the European norm for fluency, even among those who have lived abroad). For more private meetings, Japanese is sometimes used, but not when there are invited foreign guests! Yes, there is a big difference between being able to cope with daily life like shopping and ordering in restaurants, and having a technical discussion, and we've never got close to the latter.

Vinny, I've never seen any evidence that the world-famous Mat Collins (for it is he) smokes.